1005. 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER, 
471 
WESTERN READERS HEARD FROM. 
Prospects in South Dakota. 
In one way it is the same with us as it is anywhere 
else; one man will be doing well, have well-kept fields, 
good fences and a pleasant home, and maybe the very 
next farm (better soil perhaps) will present a picture 
just the opposite. I think that at the present time this 
country is the equal of any that I know of for a man 
with small means to build up - home. Of course good 
land that does not require irrigation and land under 
ditch cost something. But I think there is still some 
Government land to be had under the Belle Fourche 
project that the Government is expected to begin next 
April, and there is much land that has been signed un¬ 
der this ditch that can be had reasonably. The esti¬ 
mated cost of this ditch and reservoir is over two mil¬ 
lion dollars. The flood picture, Fig. 200, gives one a 
good idea of the lay of this part of the country; it is 
a view looking up Bear Butte Valley, and shows the 
Butte five miles to the west. The hills begin about five 
miles west of it. The other picture. Fig. 201, is my 
home. My principal business is dairying; I get 25 cents 
for butter the year round. At the present time I am 
milking six fresh cows and six strippers, and am aver¬ 
aging over 11 pounds of butter a day. I feed Alfalfa 
hay and squaw corn in the bundle. Squaw corn I 
should think would be a grand feed for eastern farm¬ 
ers, especially northern New England 
States. It matures quicker than any other 
corn, and produces a crop, no matter how 
dry the year. It grows four or five feet 
high, with a world of suckers. With a 
good stand drilled in and kept clean in 
the start, it will cover the ground so that 
the weeds have no show at all. Good 
farm hands are very scarce; those that 
can be trusted, and are known have no 
trouble in getting from $30 to $40 a 
month. c. b. j. 
An Invitation from Kansas. 
I see so much written on Alfalfa cul¬ 
ture and so many suggestions offered that 
I have to smile at times. I seeded 20 
acres of cornstalk ground in Alfalfa in 
1901 (April), 30 pounds per acre, one- 
half sown each way (seed from crop of 
previous year and clean). I prepared 
seed bed as for onions, fine and smooth, 
and 2'4 inches deep. No cultures, no 
nodules, no “inoculated” soil; but just 
excellent potato ground. Result, an ideal 
“stand.” I clipped it five times first Sum¬ 
mer (no hay) ; next year cut four times; 
the following year four times; then 
floods took all but roots. First 1905 crop 
is now weighing out on city scales 10 
tons per acre, second crop beginning to 
bloom. This land cost $22.50 per acre in 
1900. Does the East offer any farms 
with “buildings thrown in” that will do 
as well? If your son is going to be a 
farmer and raise beef, corn, potatoes or 
Alfalfa, mules, hogs or cotton, better 
send him West to take a few lessons. 
I hen give him some of that three per 
cent money you got loaned out, and he 
can fix himself right in any Western 
State. Then you come to visit him, and 
I’ll warrant he will make your visit in¬ 
teresting, if not instructive. Too much rain and corn 
slow growth now. No fruit this year except straw¬ 
berries, and they sell for $1 per crate (24 boxes). New 
potatoes $1.35 per bushel; green Alfalfa per ton de¬ 
livered in city, $2.50. Wheat fine. Oats nothing. 
Ft. Scott, Kan. g. p. 
TWO TROUBLESOME INSECTS. 
Climbing Cutworms. 
Is there any effective remedy for climbing cutworms? 
We here in the Michigan grape belt are greatly troubled by 
them. The usual remedy is to put cotton wool or tin on 
vines and wires to prevent their climbing. I saw Paris- 
green in mixture with bran and syrup recommended, also 
Paris-green water on clover, and tried both without any ap¬ 
parent result. o. p. s. 
Mattawan, Mich. 
A firm in Grand Rapids, Mich., is making a “tree- 
tanglefoot” mixture which is exceedingly sticky and 
will remain so for many days. I do not think it will in- 
jure grapevines, and I have used it very successfully 
this Spring in stopping the ascent of canker-worm 
moths on trees. It is certainly the stickiest substance 
I ever come across, and I think it would stop cutworms. 
I cannot understand why the correspondent is not 
successful in stopping the worms with a band of cot¬ 
ton batting. The best way to apply this is to wind a 
strip of batting several inches wide around the trunk 
of tr'-e or vine and tie it with a string at the bottom; 
then taking hold of the top edge pull it down so it 
overhangs, thus forming a sort of an inverted funnel of 
batting around f-h. t ee. There are several ways by 
which these c'imb ... cutworms can be killed. Where 
they climb trees, ,t is practicable to jar them off on to 
sheets at night; usually about nine or ten o’clock is the 
best time. This might not be practicable in vineyards. 
Hand-picking is certainly practicable and effective; this 
can be practiced either at night when the worms are 
on the vines, or during the day when they are hiding 
in the soil around the base of the vines within an inch 
or two of the surface. The collected worms make good 
poultry food. I have known of the above methods being 
practiced successfully and cheaply in western New 
York. I cannot understand why the correspondent 
had trouble in poisoning the cutworms. The most effec¬ 
tive poison bait that has been thoroughly tested is a 
bran mash poisoned with Paris-green or white arsenic, 
using two or three pounds of the poison to 25 pounds 
of the bran; the sweetening of this mash apparently 
does not add to its attractiveness for the cutworms. In 
some experiments reported from Michigan several years 
ago, it was stated that 90 per cent of the worms were 
killed where little bunches of such a poisoned mash 
were dropped around the base of each tree or vine. 
This poison bran mash has been extensively and success¬ 
fully used in gardens and onion fields badly infested. 
THE STEELY BEETLE ON GRAPE BUDS. 
I send a small box of bugs that are ruining my grape 
buds. They crawl into the buds and eat the heart out of 
them. Can you tell me what they are, and if there is any 
way to get rid of them? If there is we would like to try 
it before they get all over the plot. This is the third 
year. Last year there were only a few, the first year a 
great many, and this year they are worse than ever. 
Springville. N. Y. w. h. s. 
The insect which has “nipped in the bud” many a 
prospective crop of grapes in several of the grape-grow¬ 
ing sections of New York this Spring is the old enemy 
familiarly known to vineyardists as the “steely beetle.” 
These dark blue flea-beetles come from hibernation 
early in the Spring, and do very destructive work on 
vines by eating into and killing the opening buds. Such 
vines do not start into growth in the Spring, and some¬ 
times it is attributed to frost. Later in the season a sec¬ 
ond growth develops, which rarely bears fruit. After 
eating the buds, the beetles lay yellow eggs under the 
loose bark near the buds, and after some of the leaves 
have unfolded these eggs hatch into brown grubs. The 
grubs eat small holes through the leaves, sometimes 
riddling a dozen or so leaves on a vine. There is but 
one brood of the insect in a year. The insect can 
be effectively combated in several way. Oftentimes 
the beetles get the buds before they are discovered. If 
their work is suspected, it is practicable to go over the 
vines and jar the beetles into little dishes of kerosene. 
or the buds can be painted or sprayed with a strong 
dose of poison, like arsenate of lead, at the rate of one 
pound in 10 gallons of water. If the beetles get in 
their destructive work on the buds before they are 
discovered, one can prevent the appearance of the 
beetles the next Spring by watching for the appearance 
of the grubs on the leaves two or three weeks later, 
and then simply spray the infested leaves with any of 
the poisonous insecticides. Every grub killed in June on 
the leaves means one less beetle which might success¬ 
fully hibernate and appear in the Spring and destroy 
several buds. As it is doubtless now too late 
to strike a blow at the beetles, the correspondent 
should make every effort to kill the grubs which will 
appear on the leaves a little later. 
M. V. SLINGERLAND. 
IMPROVEMENT OF RURAL CEMETERIES. 
What would be the most suitable plants for vase in ceme¬ 
tery, both for creeping plants for edge, and upright plants 
for center, something that would be in bloom most of the 
season. Also what do you think of planting deciduous trees 
for shade in cemeteries—some claim that they cause moss 
on the monuments and that sextons object to the roots in 
digging graves. But I think trees add much to the looks 
and comfort to visitors to cemeteries. Many of our ceme¬ 
teries here are entirely bare of trees. r 
Ohio. 
We consider that cemetery and park planting are 
both based upon the same principles of beauty, and the 
absence of deciduous trees is a decided 
detriment. Many years ago gardeners of 
prominence began to work for the en¬ 
couragement of “rural cemeteries,” as 
they are called; that is, burial places dis¬ 
tinguished by the absence of fencing 
around the lots, copings or elaborate 
monuments, the idea being to turn each 
one into a beautiful and restful park. 
This idea has gained ground in the large 
centers, but too often the cemetery be¬ 
longing to a small community is not 
“rural” in the landscape gardener’s sense, 
the absence of fine trees and shrubbery, 
combined with tasteless monuments, hav¬ 
ing a most repellant effect. By all means 
encourage the proper planting of fine 
trees and shrubs in your local cemetery, 
and if at any time visiting Chicago go to 
Graceland Cemetery and see how beauti¬ 
ful God’s Acre may be. 
It would be a hard matter to recom¬ 
mend plants that would be in bloom 
most of the season. In the land¬ 
scape or "rural” cemeteries the graves 
are not mounded. It is difficult to 
keep a mounded grave in order, as the 
grass dries out badly in Summer heat, 
and is difficult to cut neatly. Suitable 
trailing plants for covering graves, and 
for cemetery use generally, are the Me¬ 
morial rose (Rosa Wichuraiana), Eng¬ 
lish ivy and “myrtle” or periwinkle (Vin¬ 
ca minor). Various Spiraeas, both hard- 
wooded and herbaceous, Deutzias, Hy¬ 
drangea, Japan snowball, dogwoods, both 
tree and bush forms, mock orange and 
lilac, white kerria and fringe tree are all 
suitable for cemetery planting. The old- 
fashioned Hybrid China rose, Mme. Plan- 
tier, is very desirable; its season of bloom 
is short, but while it lasts it is a mass of 
white flowers, and several of the Rugosa 
roses should be used, as they are so handsome in 
growth. The list of suitable shrubs is almost endless. 
In herbaceous plants there is equal variety. As neat 
edging plants the Plantain lilies (Funkias) will be 
found excellent; for general planting hardy Phlox in 
the pale colors; Irises, purple and white; lily of the 
valley, native Asters, English violets, Yucca or Adam’s 
needle. The planting must be governed by soil, expo¬ 
sure and effect desired. 
For vases, in cemeteries as elsewhere, one must de¬ 
pend chiefly upon annual bedding plants, and they must 
be very thoroughly and regularly watered, as the soil 
in a vase always bakes, especially if in an iron recep¬ 
tacle. The soil should be good, and about the middle 
of the season a top-dressing is often an advantage. 
Some taller, rather stiff plant must be put in the center, 
such as Cordyline indivisa (Dracaena) or Bowstring 
hemp; in a sunny place surround this with geraniums 
and dusty miller, with Vinca major, Coboea and Mau- 
randia (Lophospermum) for trailing vines; nasturti¬ 
ums if desired. Sweet Alyssum is very pretty around 
the edge; it will fall over and mingle with the vines; 
so will Ivy-leafed geranium. Coboea and Maurandia 
are easily raised from seed, and are handsome flower¬ 
ing vines. For a shaded situation put a small palm 
in the center of the vase, and fill with Rex Begonias, 
with variegated ivy for trailer. The material suggested 
is all such as may be easily obtained. 
BEAR BUTTE VALLEY, SOUTH DAKOTA. Fig. 200. 
A FARM HOME IN SOUTH DAKOTA. Fig. 201. 
